Steering-wheel drive for motor-vehicle instruments



Aug. 4, 19,25.

1,548,233 F. G. wHrr-rlNGToN STEERING WHEEL DRIVE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE INSTRUMENTS y Eea-Limia @www MLWQW patented fitug. d, i925,

STEERINGQNHE Application filed lil-'cicli 1'7, 1922. Serial No. 544,646.

To whom t may @once/m.'

Beit known that l, Funnnnrn G. llrirrfriNeroN, a citizen et the United States, having residence in Evanston, in the county oi Cook and State et illinois, have invented certain new and use'liul improvements in Steering-llJheel Drives for lbotor-f'ehicle instruments, ont which the following is aspecitication, reterence being had to the acfcompanying drawings, Yls'orming a part thereor.

The purpose oi this invention is to provide an improved construction tor driving a speedometer or other instrument carried by a motor vehicle 'from the steering wheel of the vehicle. lt consists in the elements and 'features or construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

ln the drawings Figure l is a plan view ot a portion of a motor vehicle, including the right hand steering wheel which shown equipped with this invention.

Figure 2 isa section at the line, 2-2, on Figure l.

Figure 3 is a detail section at the line, 3 3, on Figure 2.

Figure e' is a section at the line il--fl on F'g. 3.

in the structure shown in the drawings, A is the right hand steering wheel oi' a motor vehicle, l is the dash board, C indicates the speedometer mounted on the dash board; E, F, are the two parts of the steering knuckle, E being the part rigid with the lined axle, c, and F the part which carries the steering wheel spindle, F1. G is a two-part bracket mounted upon the knuckle, l?, and preterably, as shown, upon the steering arm, J, o'li said knuckle member, said bracket having one member, Ga, clamped by a clamping yoke, Gb, on said steering arm, and a second member, Gc, lormed with a split bearing as seen at the lugs, g-g, with a clamping bolt, g1, for clamping the cylindrical stem, g2, oi? the second member, GX, of said two-part bracket which has a journal bearing, G1, which is parallel to the stem, g2, and when the device is mounted on the steering arm, J, it is oblique to the plane of the steering wheel. In said journal bearing G1 there is j ournaled and longitudinally stopped a shaft, H, having at one end a spiral toothed pinion, K, which meshes with a spirallytoothed gear-annulus, L; applied upon thev inner side o the steering` wheel and rigidiy secured thereto tor rotating therewith. The opposite end of the journal bearing, G1, is exteriorly threaded tor attachment ot the customary interiorly threaded terminal or the casing of the flexible shaft, M, of which the rotary member, ll, is coupled with the end ot the shaft, lil, journaled in said bearing, said shatt being provided with the customa-ry means i'or such coupling. Preferably, as shown, the bracket, G, is mounted 'for positioning the spiral pinion, K, at the under side of the spiral gear annulus, L, that is, below the axis ot the steering wheel. 7ihis permits leading oft the flexible shaft toward the speedometer at the most convenient position for the minimum bending of the shaft to reach the speedometer at the customary position of the latter on the dash board.

lt is designed, butnot obligatory that the gear-annulus shall be ot such diameter that it may be applied to the steering wheel within the dimensions of the flange, L1, of the hub of the steering wheel where securement is conveniently effected by screws, m, taking into the wooden body ot' the hub, spacing sleeves, m1, being interposed between the flange, L1, and the gear-annulus, L, as seen in Figure 3.

lt will be seen that the two-part construction of the bracket, G, with the cylindrical stem, g2, of the second part rotatable and slidable and arranged to be clamped fast in the split bearing of the lirst member, affords means o1 accurately adjusting the spiral gear pinion K, for meshing with the gear annulus, L, accommodating minor variations in diameter and lateral positioning of said gear annulus.

l. ln combination with a steering knuckle and steering wheel of an automotive vehicle, a spiral toothed annulus constituting a driving gear rigid with the steering wheel at the inner side, a correlatively toothed pinion mounted to mesh with the tooth ot the annulus at a side thereof at which a tangent extends in general in fore-and-a'ft direction with respect to the vehicle, a shaft for said pinion having its journal bearing carried on the member of the knuckle by which the steering wheel is carried, said shaft trending rearwardly in a direction oblique With respect to the plane or' the steering Wheel, and a flexible shaft coupled directly to said pinion shaft for connection with an instrument mounted on the Vehicle.

2. In the construction delined in claim l, foregoing, the oblique bearing being positioned for engagement of the pinion With the annulus at the lower side of the latter.

3. In the Construction delined in claim l, foregoing, a two-part bracket member for carrying the pinion shaft journal bearing consisting of one part attached rigidly to the knuckle member which carries the steering Wheel, and a second part which has the oblique journal bearing mentioned, said two parts being engaged with each other for adjustment relative to each other to carry the journal bearing part slidably and rotatably in the other part along and about a line parallel to said journal bearing and offset therefrom away from the steering Wheel.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set by hand at Chicago, Illinois, 4this 11th day of March, 1922.

' FREDERIK G. VSTHITTINGTON. 

